Jul. 3, 2014

Inmates are served food through Aramark Correctional Services last week at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson. Flu-like symptoms have struck 150 inmates as officials await test results to determine the cause of the illness. / Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press

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Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING — The Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson was placed under partial quarantine with 150 prisoners now showing flu-like symptoms — up from 30 last weekend — and officials couldn’t say whether bad food is the cause of the outbreak.

But Corrections Department spokesman Russ Marlan said Thursday the number of sick prisoners has grown to about 150. In a partial quarantine, the sick prisoners are not being allowed visitors, and no prisoners are being moved in or out of the facility. Swabs have been taken from the sick prisoners and test results were pending, he said.

Officials moved quickly last Friday to shut down the meal line and thoroughly clean the area. Karen Cutler, a spokeswoman for prison food contractor Aramark Correctional Services of Philadelphia, said there was no evidence linking the outbreak of illnesses with the discovery of maggots on the meal line.

“We continue to await the test results and have ordered a third-party auditor to visit every facility in the state to ensure they meet our safety and sanitation standards,” Cutler said Thursday.

Marlan said the department’s chief medical officer said, “These types of illnesses usually relate back to food,” but the department can’t say for sure until more test results are available.

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No prisoners have died or required hospitalization, he said.

On Wednesday, the Free Press reported that warden Heidi Washington ordered Aramark to throw away potatoes in a kitchen storage area at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson on Tuesday after maggots were found in potatoes. A thorough cleaning was ordered of the storage area.

Also Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer called on Gov. Rick Snyder to terminate the three-year, $145-million contract with Aramark, which has been the subject of almost constant controversy since the contractor took over in December, eliminating 370 state jobs.

The outsourcing “has proven to be a serious mistake that is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars and putting the lives of our corrections officers at risk,” Schauer said.

Incidents of Aramark workers attempting to smuggle marijuana and other contraband into prisons, showing up drunk, and getting overly friendly with inmates “pose a very serious risk to public safety,” Schauer said in a news release.